


Alive

by queenhomeslice



Series: Prince of Lucis, King of My Heart [1]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alcohol, Canon Compliant, Chubby Reader, Curvy Reader, Drinking & Talking, F/M, Love Confessions, Mentions of Suicide Attempt, Pining, References to Depression, Soft Noctis Lucis Caelum, fat reader, plus size reader
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-23
Updated: 2020-02-23
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:48:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,446
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22866595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queenhomeslice/pseuds/queenhomeslice
Summary: Noctis falls in love like drowning—slowly, and then all at once.
Relationships: Noctis Lucis Caelum/Reader
Series: Prince of Lucis, King of My Heart [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1656907
Comments: 16
Kudos: 94





	Alive

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with Square Enix or any production studios behind the Final Fantasy franchise or Final Fantasy XV; I am not making money from this work and I do not own the rights to FF in any way.

It’s a slow blossoming in Noct’s chest, like light crashing through the eternal darkness that’s haunted him his whole life. The first time she holds his hand, not even meaning it in any sort of romantic sense, Noctis jumps as though Ramuh has struck him with all the lightning in the world at once. It’s the way the sunlight catches on her hair when they’re walking to arcade after school, her and Prompto helping him dodge his royal responsibilities yet again—he's fascinated, and he wonders if he ever saw color properly before meeting her. He feels a tightness in his chest whenever she gets too close, leans into his space to steal a sip of his milkshake—feels a stutter in his heart when she laughs, feels too hot whenever he looks at her lips too long. 

It takes his whole high school career to realize it. He’s confused when Prompto sidles up next to her, crooning _Hey darlin’, l_ _ookin_ _’ thicker than a Snicker today;_ and when milk squirts out of her nose and she hits the lanky blond, Noctis pretends not to notice the curve of her thighs. He doesn’t know why his heart rate speeds up when she texts him—he thinks maybe, he’s just excited to have not one but _two_ friends. The only other girl he really knows is Lunafreya, and she’s a world away and so much older and wiser than he is. But __________? She’s right here, all brains and pink and _soft_. Noct’s at the top of the class, but she’s right behind, and when Prompto cradles her round face in his hands and plants his forehead against hers, begging to absorb some smarts, well—Noctis doesn’t know why he’s jealous. 

At eighteen, his father lets him go to a little secluded fishing spot outside of Insomnia—Gladio, Iggy, Prompto, and ____________ all in tow in his father’s car. Ignis drives, and Prompto sits on his knees and takes blurry pictures with his cheap childhood camera; ___________ sits in the back, wedged between Gladio and himself, and Noctis can’t help but notice how close her hand is. It’d be so easy to just reach out a grab it. But not here, not in front of—not here. He closes his eyes and grumbles at Ignis to wake him when they’ve reached the lake. 

At nineteen, Prompto’s formally inducted into the Crownsguard, all shaking limbs and blushing red when the Marshal makes him repeat the oath. His friend has more bruises these days, but Prompto looks _happy_ , and that’s all that matters. ____________ isn’t a fighter, but King Regis gives her a desk job at the Citadel anyway, just so she can be close to the others. She goes to college online and Ignis helps her, and Noctis feels warm all over when he sees her wrapped in a pile of blankets at midnight in Iggy’s office, writing a paper. 

They’re at the top of Noct’s penthouse suite, lying close to each other on the white plastic lounge chairs at the perimeter of the clear blue pool. Prompto crashed in the guest room hours ago, fatigued from training; but they’re drinking from a bottle they shouldn’t have and they fumbled up the stairs to the roof. Dazedly, Noctis watches the movement of the black heavens through the haze of the Wall. He feels light, happy—a stark opposite from four years ago when he was clinically depressed, alone, isolated. 

“D’you remember,” he slurs, very unprince-like, “d’you remember when we first met?” 

“Think about it every day,” she says quietly, and—

Noctis shivers when she grabs his hand and gives it a good squeeze. 

“Some asshole tripped me while we were walking into class on the first day, and you helped me up, picked up all my books. Even though everyone else was laughing at me. Like _I_ was the beached whale too heavy to stand.” 

“I never saw you that way,” says Noctis. They’ve had the conversations about—weight, bodies, and they don’t need to have it again. Mostly because Noctis is already almost always thinking about her body, but. 

“I was glad for a friend like you,” she says, head lolling to the side to look at her prince. “Prince Charming.” 

Noctis snorts. “Sure,” he says. 

“Well I think you _are_.” 

Noctis hums and turns his head, eyes widening to find that she’s already staring at him. He gets lost in her gaze for a moment, then, “You make me feel alive, y’know. Like. Like I was drowning and you’re the one who put air in my lungs.” 

If there were bright lights around, he’d see her blush—but it’s dark and hidden for now, so all he sees are the dilation of her pupils. “Noctis, you can’t—” she looks away. “You can’t say stuff like that. Are you drunk?” 

“No,” says Noct. “I mean I _am_ , but like. I’m not just saying that because of the whiskey.” He sloshes the bottle around lazily, brings it to his lips and savors the burn as it goes down. “I like being around you. When you smile, I get this tight feeling in my chest, and it’s like—” 

“Noct,” she whispers, eyes still cast down. “You’re drunk, you don’t mean that, you don’t—“

“When I was thirteen, I tried to kill myself,” Noctis says. “I snuck into the armory and sharpened a dagger and when the tip hit my chest, Gentiana appeared and stopped me.” 

___________ blinks back up to Noct, mouth open, horrified. “ _What_?” 

“She said it wasn’t my time to die. I cried and cursed and begged her to find me a friend. Anyone. I was drowning in despair. After the daemon attack from the Niffs, my mom, dad visibly aging every day, the whispers at school...” Noctis chokes back tears. “I felt hopeless. No one understood anything. I shut everyone out, even Iggy and Gladio.” 

“What did—that's Lunafreya’s companion, right? You’ve told me about her.” 

Noct nods. “She told me that more friends would soon come, not to lose heart. At the time I didn’t understand, I was still so angry, but...” Noctis smiles. “Now I do. You, and Prompto. You guys are...I don’t know where I’d be without you.” Noct’s face is burning with warmth and whiskey. He knows what he wants, now, and he’ll be damned if he’s not going to try and get it. 

“Why are you saying all of this now?” ____________ realizes that she’s still holding her prince’s hand. Her palms are all clammy, from the heat of the summer night and the strong alcohol. She swallows hard. 

“I didn’t know what I wanted, for a long time,” Noctis says reverently, like a prayer. “I’m not good with—with feelings, you know, and I...” He grins, widely. “I think this is love.” 

___________ bites back a strangled sound in her throat. “Noct-Noctis, are you saying that...” 

“I think I love you,” says the prince. 

“You’re drunk.” 

“Yeah, but I’m still telling the truth.” 

“There’s no way,” she says sadly, dropping his hand and curling into herself. “I’m not—I'm not pretty, or nobility, or—I can’t fight, I can’t protect you...” 

“That never mattered,” Noctis spits. “I have enough people wanting to die for me. I’d never ask that of you.” 

“But—” 

“There are so many more things that I care about. I know you, and I know your heart. You’re beautiful.” Noct places the bottle on the cement and stands on shaky legs, moving slowly to the other chair. He coaxes his friend out of the fetal position and plants himself flush on top of her. He wraps his arms around her back and buries his head into her neck. He can hear her heartbeat—the rhythm matches his own. Wild, staccato beats, full of disbelief. 

“Noct,” she whispers into his hair. 

Noctis presses his lips to her soft neck and revels in her sharp inhale. “I love you,” he whispers against her skin. 

_____________ can’t hold back the tears anymore. She lets loose the flood as she grips her prince tight and sobs into his shirt. 

Sometime later, they fall into Noct’s bed, heads still swimming with the haze of the drink, but Noctis has never been more sure of anything as he is now, kissing those soft, feminine lips and swallowing all of her little gasps and moans, clutching at her thick, curvy body through her shirt, squeezing the endless expanse of skin. He falls asleep to the feeling of her pressed against him, raking fingers through his hair, hot mouth pushing kisses against his forehead. For the first time in his life, Noctis feels free. 


End file.
